Sharing High Tech Press Advances

In preparing its slate of drupa offerings, KBA has distributed automation technologies across various sizes of its press platforms automation. Its new 41.75´´ wide 18,000 sph Rapida 106, for example, incorporates DriveTronic SPC technology already in use on more than 300 of its model 105 units since it was introduced in Sept. 2007.

For the 106, ink trains and plate cylinders are controlled by DriveTronic SPC, a dedicated plate cylinder drive system. This eliminates ink gearing, so plate changing and ink wash-up are unrestricted by press drive speeds. Ink trains in unused units, say on a 5-color run on an 8 unit press, can be disengaged, reducing drag, wear, and the need to lubricate and then clean up the idle units. Multiple units can clean up and change over in under 60 seconds. Shown at a March open house (with other machines described here) was an 8-color perfector Rapida 106 that ran three 500-sheet four-over-four jobs and changed over all in a total 16 minutes.

A related innovation is DriveTronic Plate Ident, which reads register marks imaged in the gripper margin on the plates, and uses them to set the theoretical zero register point for all plate cylinders. It also identifies the color separations on the plates, to make sure the right plate is on the right unit.

Some of these automation components are being spliced onto KBA's new Rapida 75. It supercedes the Performa 74 and the Rapida 74, with this machine built to a larger specification: 20.5×29.5´´. The 15,000 sph Rapida 75 is configurable in two to eight colors plus coater, (a perfector is to follow soon) and incorporates some 30 new features. A more generous 23½×29½´´ version will be of particular interest to U.S. printers. Many of the proven features from the bigger format presses have been incorporated in the Rapida 75. These include pneumatic suction sidelays, an open inking unit design, and KBA DensiTronic density measurement and control from the console. A 5-color Rapida 75 with coater and extended delivery shown in March quickly changed from packaging on lightweight board to a lightweight coated brochure.

KBA has also updated its standard Rapida 105 adding an HS (High Speed) package to bring it to 16,000 sph. It is available with up to seven printing units plus coating, UV and hybrid printing options. Automated features include shaftless DriveTronic feeder, plate changing (automatic or semi-automatic) and washing. Press controls are now based on the Windows operating system. Video-based automatic color register control and a choice of DensiTronic or DensiTronic Professional closed-loop densitometry minimize waste and quality deviations.

QualiTronic, a dedicated inline sheet-inspection system that scans each sheet as it enters the delivery or the perfecting unit, and compares it with a reference sheet, now has a feature that lets it tag off-spec sheets. Compatible finishing devices (an MBO machine is showing it at drupa) can eject marked sheets automatically.